Laguna Beach or Newport Beach with children? (Irvine, Orange: rent, home)

[Jordie67]

We are moving to California with a teen and elementary school age child. Kids obsessed with all things water sports. Surfing, scuba, fishing and sailing! Being within 10 min from a beach is super important to our family.
Moving from a very small preppy private school in NY.
Great small Public education is priority.
Commute is not an issue. Children have no Jewish friends at their school (we are) and we want them to have some. Not that welcome where we are, and looking for a more inviting and welcoming community. We are both creative, love great food and would love an area with culture and a buzz.
Any advice would be so wonderful and so helpful! Thank you!

[pacific2]

I would definitely suggest Laguna Beach over Newport Beach. Laguna Beach is artsy and progressive and, speaking as a Manhattan (UWS) transplant, more in line with a Manhattan vibe.

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by Jordie67

We are moving to California with a teen and elementary school age child. Kids obsessed with all things water sports. Surfing, scuba, fishing and sailing! Being within 10 min from a beach is super important to our family.
Moving from a very small preppy private school in NY.
Great small Public education is priority.
Commute is not an issue. Children have no Jewish friends at their school (we are) and we want them to have some. Not that welcome where we are, and looking for a more inviting and welcoming community. We are both creative, love great food and would love an area with culture and a buzz.
Any advice would be so wonderful and so helpful! Thank you!

What is your budget? Laguna is quite a bit more expensive then Newport.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by mbell75

What is your budget? Laguna is quite a bit more expensive then Newport.

Of course the OP will answer, but coming from Manhattan's Upper East Side with kids enrolled in prep school, he's likely to be able to afford it.

[Fran66]

Don't know if you are religious or what 'branch' of Judaism you adhere to, but, should you happen to be Reform, this one is THE BEST -- IMHO:

Shir Ha-Ma'alot, Irvine CA

The only bad thing about LB is trying to get in and out of it. Rush hour and weekend traffic can be really miserable. And during the summer -- on weekends -- omg. And I don't think the schools are so great either -- I think Newport Beach's schools are better. But, then, on the other hand -- you're not going to find 'small'. On the third hand, you're not going to find 'small' anywhere in OC. Unless, perhaps, you send your kids to a private school.

[Jordie67]

Thank you! We were leaning towards Laguna for the reasons that you mentioned, and we were willing to sacrifice home size to be there. We will rent in the beginning. Def want a more relaxed less pressured vibe for kids. With that being said, I still want their education to be valued. I know that I am generalizing but, is there a great emphasis on education there? Also, is there an international population there? Hubby is originally from England.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by Jordie67

Thank you! We were leaning towards Laguna for the reasons that you mentioned, and we were willing to sacrifice home size to be there. We will rent in the beginning. Def want a more relaxed less pressured vibe for kids. With that being said, I still want their education to be valued. I know that I am generalizing but, is there a great emphasis on education there? Also, is there an international population there? Hubby is originally from England.

I suspect that people in Laguna Beach value education as much as anyone else and the city has has good schools:
GreatSchools.org Search: laguna beach, ca

Generally speaking, of whatever size, there is something of an international community throughout South County, including Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach may be a small artsy community, but it's certainly not provincial.

About 12 percent of LB's population is foreign born:
Laguna Beach (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

As you mentioned religion, there is also this:
Chabad Jewish Center of Laguna Beach

Within an easy drive in nearby Aliso Viejo, you'll find this:
Temple Beth El of South Orange County

BTW, as I'm sure someone may recommend it, Irvine is very heavily marketed and it's a nice enough city, but coming from Manhattan, your family would find itself going stir crazy from lack of stimulation if you moved there.

Irvine is one of OC's largest cities, and even though it has been around "forever," it still does not offer much beyond good schools and safe streets. Culturally, it's the polar opposite to NYC.

[Jordie67]

Thank you so much. I guess what I was trying to say about education was that because it has such an incredible beach feel in Laguna, I was wondering how it must be diff to focus on schoolwork lol!
Irvine, not for us. Thank you for all of the useful links. I find numbers sometimes difficult to rely on because so many of my friends here on the northeast say that their schools really teach to the test, which is very frustrating for them.
I would love to have a parents perspective who uses the school district. Do you think that my children will be one of only a fraction of Jewish children in their grades? Just as a backup,are there any schools in newport beach or newport coast that have a decent Jewish population. I dont mean to focus on it, but we had our fair share of feeling not included and I dont want to go through that again. Maybe it is a snobby Northeast thing who knows. Not fun!

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by Jordie67

Thank you so much. I guess what I was trying to say about education was that because it has such an incredible beach feel in Laguna, I was wondering how it must be diff to focus on schoolwork lol!
Irvine, not for us. Thank you for all of the useful links. I find numbers sometimes difficult to rely on because so many of my friends here on the northeast say that their schools really teach to the test, which is very frustrating for them.
I would love to have a parents perspective who uses the school district. Do you think that my children will be one of only a fraction of Jewish children in their grades? Just as a backup,are there any schools in newport beach or newport coast that have a decent Jewish population. I dont mean to focus on it, but we had our fair share of feeling not included and I dont want to go through that again. Maybe it is a snobby Northeast thing who knows. Not fun!

Totally understood. I'll leave it to others to answer from first-hand experience. It's natural and not at all snobby to want to feel that you and your kids are included.

If few respond, I would suggest contacting someone from one of the above links to get the inside scoop. It might be worthwhile doing it even if you do get answers here on C-D.

[Jordie67]

will do! Thanks again!